Sony’s Netbook “fits in a pocket”, Might Not Fit Netbook Category

Actually, Sony has this “P-series” VAIO on their notebook section in the SonyStyle store, so maybe netbook isn’t the right term. Just ask Psion, if you don’t believe me. Eagle-eye reader Jose was browsing Sony’s online storefront and caught the new P hiding unsuccessfully at the front of the VAIO line. Not much to go on, but more than we had before although the picture is a TT-device placeholder. Looks like a 1.33GHz Intel CPU which could mean an Atom (dual core perhaps?), but might also be a variant of Intel’s Core Solo like the Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC. She’ll come with Windows Vista Home Premium or Home Basic which is unlike most netbooks out on the market today.

Typical of Sony portable computers, the P will have a high-resolution screen. This one is eight-inches with a whopping 1600×768 res. That means you won’t have nearly as much scrolling as the typical 1024×600 netbook display. Of course, that’s assuming your eyes can handle the strain. I suspect many would-be owners will boosting up the DPI and font sizes. Storage comes in the form of a traditional hard drive up to a measly 60GB but you can opt for a 128GB SSD drive, which will likely bump up pricing a few hundred dollars.

First impressions of the limited specifications tell me that this isn’t a netbook in the traditional, expected sense… if you can call a first year product “traditional”. It doesn’t appear that Sony’s offering will compete on price in the netbook market as I’d expect a base starting price near the top-end of fully loaded netbooks. With options, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this small notebook command over a thousand dollars. That fits in with the “fits in a pocket” claim, because you won’t just need big pockets to afford this “netbook”, you’ll need a deep one to tote that 8-inch screen as well. I’m still convinced the form-factor is akin to a clamshell like the old HP Journada. Thanks Jose!

http://jkontherun.com/2008/12/25/sonys-netbook-fits-in-a-pocket-might-not-fit-netbook-category/

Psion pushing takedowns over "netbook" name

Sites using the term "netbook" to refer to the recent wave of mini notebooks are starting to receive cease and desist letters over its alleged infringement of a trademark for a Psion device with a similar name, say site owners reporting their problems to jkOnTheRun. The largely defunct PDA maker has claimed that various enthusiast pages are inadvertently using the name of its discontinued netBook and netBook Pro devices and is asking the sites to phase out use of the term by the end of March. Psion doesn't say what the consequences will be but warns that continued use will "damage" its trademarks. The accusations are controversial both through their attempt to link a generic term to a no longer produced device but also through their implications for Intel, which is largely credited with inventing the modern use of "netbook" and promoting its use. No action is yet known to have been taken against Intel, nor have any immediate links been made between Psion's Linux-based organizer and the newer, more abstract concept.

The current definition of the word refers to a very small notebook built primarily for accessing the Internet and which doesn't need large amounts of processing power or storage as a result. Psion's device shares similarities in its blend between PDA and notebook functions but is focused more on offline content and runs a relatively feature-limited operating system versus the full Linux or Windows XP operating systems on today's systems.